With the news coming out that Joakim Noah is unhappy in his current role with the New York Knicks, the Atlanta Hawks could put an offer on the table involving Dennis Schröder that the Knicks would have a hard time refusing.
Sources: After heated verbal exchange in practice between Joakim Noah and coach Jeff Hornacek last week, the Knicks are exploring avenues to part with Noah. He has two years remaining on the four-year, $72M deal he signed in 2016.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 29, 2018
After many terrific seasons with the Chicago Bulls including two All-Star campaigns, Joakim Noah is now a clear net negative with the Knicks on his immense contract doled out by ostracized former GM Phil Jackson.
The Atlanta Hawks have cap space to burn, and no clear reason to keep it until they get way, way better (perhaps for a time when a current Milwaukee Buck hits free agency in 2021). The Knicks are in dire need of a point guard of the future as Frank Ntilikina has not panned out so far – though, to be fair, he is only 19 years old in his rookie season.
Dennis Schröder is a proven scorer in his age-24 season and he leads the Hawks in many major categories. Though he is highly valuable for the Hawks right now, his lackadaisical defensive effort and poor leadership skills make him an expendable piece for Atlanta going forward.
With that in mind, here’s the trade:
Now sure, this doesn’t look great for the Hawks, and ESPN’s Trade Machine estimates that the Hawks will lose a monstrous 21 more games by making this trade. But look at the bright side: Atlanta will be able to obtain another potential lottery pick to go along with their own in the 2018 draft, as well as the impressive upside of Ntilikina who, again, is only 19 years old.
Frankie Smokes also already looks to be a far superior defender to Dennis Schröder, who rarely gives even the faintest hint of an effort on the less glamorous end. Essentially, Atlanta would be receiving two first-round picks in the deal, as Ntilikina was the eight overall pick in the 2017 draft.
The Hawks would pick up Noah’s monolithic contract and enjoy his effort and competitive fire, and even though he is a shell of his former self, the upside of the Knicks’ first-round draft pick coupled with Ntilikina would be a great haul for a Hawks team looking for growth and young talent through the draft.
On the Knicks side, Schröder automatically improves their offense considerably, and he is locked up on a reasonable contract until the 2021 season. His defense is lackluster, but that’s where unicorn Kristaps Porzingis comes in.
The Hawks lack size, something that The Zinger has to an immense degree and he could also cover up for DS17’s defensive deficiencies in a big way.
They would also prove to be a dangerous pick-and-roll combination, as Schröder’s stellar footspeed could aid the titanic Porzingis.
This trade would give the Knicks two great players, (one a budding superstar, both under 25 years old) to build around for the next great Knicks team. They could distance themselves from Noah’s deplorable contract as well as the stench of Phil Jackson’s nightmarish tenure.
New York would also pick up dependable bench scorer Marco Belinelli in the deal, though he would just be a rental for the remainder of the season.
With news breaking yesterday that Blake Griffin has been traded to the Detroit Pistons for a package of Avery Bradley, Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic and a first- and second-round draft pick, no star player is safe.
Next: 3 Realistic Trades the Atlanta Hawks Could Make
In Dennis Schröder’s case, he could take the spotlight in New York beside a generational talent in Porzingis and his national profile would certainly skyrocket – a stardom he has seemingly always craved but never attained in Atlanta.